A smart card is extensively applied to two segments, one is for the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) in wireless communication, another is the identification system, such as a financial card, ATM card or health insurance card. The SIM card is used in a mobile communication device. A person who uses a wireless network system, such as GSM or CDMA system, has a SIM card provided by a communication company. A SIM card stores user information, such as the user's phone numbers, phone books, call restrictions, personal identity number (PIN) and personal unblock key (PUK). Further, a legal SIM card is adopted by a GSM communication system for communication, so that the user may be allowed to enter the GSM communication network for transmitting information.
Smart cards (also known as smart tokens) can be standard credit card sized plastic cards with embedded computer chips, or plug-in sized SIM cards within mobile devices or for plugging directly into universal serial bus ports on personal computers. The chip on each SIM allows a single card to be programmed to do many things, such as functioning as a credit card or handling electronic cash. Old applications can be deleted, and new applications can be downloaded onto a card at a later time. The chip itself is designed to be tamper-proof, and information stored on the card can be from theft, forgery or duplication.
With the wide-spread usage of smart cards in mobile industry such as SIM for GSM, USIM for WCDMA, RUIM for CDMA2000 and PIM for PHS network, a large variety of applications have been developed utilizing smart cards resided in a mobile phone (SIM/USIM/RUIM/PIM, hereafter referred to as UICC, Universal Integrated Circuit Card) to provide security services. Mobile operators ensure the security of the use of mobile service by authenticating the keys stored in the smart cards that mobile operators issue to the subscribers. Mobile operators also provide premium services like mobile banking, mobile stock trading service by storing in the SIM cards keys provided by the banks or other service providers. The keys are manipulated through an application interface developed by a SIM Tool Kit (STK), which also resided in the SIM card. When WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) phones became available, WIM (Wireless Identity Module) was also developed by the SIM card vendors to secure WAP security by storing the certificate and PKI algorithm in the SIM (SWIM card) or another standalone WIM card which can be inserted into another card slot in the mobile phone.
The keypad and display screen of the mobile phone facilitate the inserted smart card with a larger user interface and the mobile nature of remote access to service providers further accomplishes the goal of service mobility. In order to enable service mobility, service providers like banks, credit card issuers, transportation card issuers, certificate issuers and stock brokers are willing to cooperate with mobile operators to issue enhanced SIM cards so as to provide services which fall, into their professions. However, the provision and management of SIM capability and functions are in the control of mobile operators, therefore it forms a closed system where only stipulated persons are allowed to participate. Furthermore, the relationship between service providers and mobile operators are one of mutual distrust and both have similar agendas as to control of security and payment methods. This becomes the main obstacle to the development of mobile security services.
In the mobile telecommunication world, another emerging demand based on smart card is called “multiple SIM ownership”, which indicates the trend of a single mobile phone user holding more than one SIM cards issued by different mobile operators. The trend arises because of the following reasons:                ability to have separate accounts for personal and business use        ability to have separate SIMs of mobile operators of different countries when traveling to save roaming fee charge        ability to keep separate SIMs for different service plans, such as daytime and off-peak calling        ability to keep separate SIMs for different promotion tariff packages to save cost        
A special mobile phone with dual chip or dual slot capability used to be introduced to resolve the above issues, by providing an additional chip slot on the mobile phone in order for the service provider or another mobile operator to issue its own smart card or SIM which stores its own secret keys. However, the special phones are usually costly and not well-accepted by users, thus creating a subo-market where service providers can play with. (Please refer to U.S. Pat. No. 6,623,305, Dual SIM card connector).
As aforementioned, to overcome the above obstacles of mobile services, especially transactional services, and to satisfy the business interest from different smart card issuers toward a single user, the inventor discloses a business method through a dual UICC system.